The last street art festival in Eureka, for now, has wrapped up, save one artist who is still working on a piece. There were 15 murals painted this year and 13 ceramic banana slugs installed during the week-long festival.
The volunteer organizers of the festival, started in 2018, have brought more than one hundred murals to Eureka walls. Organizers say this year is the last festival — at least for now.
Organizers cited the Herculean effort of organizing the operation on volunteer hours, put in by illustrator Jenna Catsos, Michelle Cartledge, co-owner of Humboldt Cider Company and the Local Cider Bar, and Swan Asbury, the economic development manager for Eureka. Plus, it’s getting harder to raise funds and find walls. As for the final year, Asbury says it went really smoothly.
“We have a really nice group every year, but I think this year we’ve just really gotten the hang of things,” said Asbury.
She said that property owners who host the murals were involved in art talks and helped organize get-togethers, like the “Plants are Medicine” mural at Lima’s Pharmacy on Harrison Avenue. A map of all the new murals is available at eurekastreetartfestival.com.
This year brought an end to a block party under the Samoa Bridge — and much has changed since 2018, says Asbury, and community markets and parties are now widespread.
The group’s work doesn’t end with the festival.
“We’d like to take a break for a few years and then come back,” she said — fixing up existing murals that need some love and getting a much needed break for the marathon of organizing the festival.
Asbury said the city recently got a grant from Caltrans to install lights to illuminate the murals underneath the Samoa Bridge. The pillars were painted in 2022 by Joshua Lawyer, Kyle Sanders, Laci Dane and Jessica Cherry of Crescent City.
Organizers have indicated that they’ll revisit having another street art festival in the next couple of years.
Sage Alexander can be reached at 707-441-0504
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